1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season

1987–88 Montreal Canadiens
Adams Division Champions
Division 1st Adams
Conference 1st Wales
1987–88 record 45-22-13
Goals for 298
Goals against 238
Team information
General Manager Serge Savard
Coach Jean Perron
Captain Bob Gainey
Alternate captains Mats Naslund
Larry Robinson
Arena Montreal Forum
Team leaders
Goals Stephane Richer (50)
Assists Bobby Smith (66)
Points Bobby Smith (93)
Penalties in minutes Chris Nilan (209)
Plus/minus Petr Svoboda (+46)
Wins Patrick Roy (23)
Goals against average Brian Hayward (2.86)
<1986–87 1988–89>

The 1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 79th season. The club qualified for the playoffs, defeated the Hartford Whalers in the first round, but were eliminated in the Adams Division finals versus the Boston Bruins four games to one.

Offseason

Regular season

Defensively, the Canadiens were the best team in the league, finishing the regular season with just 238 goals against. They also allowed the fewest power-play goals, with just 64[3]

Final standings

Adams Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Montreal Canadiens 80 45 22 13 298 238 103
Boston Bruins 80 44 30 6 300 251 94
Buffalo Sabres 80 37 32 11 283 305 85
Hartford Whalers 80 35 38 7 249 267 77
Quebec Nordiques 80 32 43 5 271 306 69

[4]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results

# R Date Score Opponent Record
1TOct 8, 19872–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers0–0–1
2WOct 10, 19876–3 Buffalo Sabres1–0–1
3LOct 12, 19872–5 Quebec Nordiques1–1–1
4LOct 16, 19873–4 @ New Jersey Devils1–2–1
5WOct 17, 19873–2 Pittsburgh Penguins2–2–1
6WOct 19, 19875–1 Minnesota North Stars3–2–1
7WOct 21, 198710–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs4–2–1
8LOct 23, 19873–5 @ Buffalo Sabres4–3–1
9WOct 24, 19873–2 @ Washington Capitals5–3–1
10LOct 26, 19873–5 Calgary Flames5–4–1
11WOct 28, 19873–1 Edmonton Oilers6–4–1
12WOct 30, 19875–4 @ Detroit Red Wings7–4–1
13TOct 31, 19873–3 OT Boston Bruins7–4–2
14WNov 2, 19876–4 St. Louis Blues8–4–2
15TNov 4, 19874–4 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks8–4–3
16WNov 7, 19875–4 Philadelphia Flyers9–4–3
17WNov 9, 19873–1 Toronto Maple Leafs10–4–3
18TNov 11, 19870–0 OT @ Hartford Whalers10–4–4
19LNov 12, 19872–3 @ Boston Bruins10–5–4
20WNov 14, 19873–0 Chicago Blackhawks11–5–4
21TNov 16, 19873–3 OT Hartford Whalers11–5–5
22WNov 18, 19875–2 New York Islanders12–5–5
23WNov 21, 19872–1 New Jersey Devils13–5–5
24LNov 23, 19873–4 OT @ Quebec Nordiques13–6–5
25WNov 25, 19876–5 @ Hartford Whalers14–6–5
26LNov 27, 19872–4 @ Minnesota North Stars14–7–5
27WNov 28, 19877–3 @ Winnipeg Jets15–7–5
28WNov 30, 19876–4 Boston Bruins16–7–5
29TDec 2, 19873–3 OT Vancouver Canucks16–7–6
30WDec 5, 19876–4 Los Angeles Kings17–7–6
31WDec 8, 19873–2 @ New York Islanders18–7–6
32TDec 9, 19872–2 OT @ New York Rangers18–7–7
33WDec 12, 19875–3 Detroit Red Wings19–7–7
34WDec 16, 19875–4 Quebec Nordiques20–7–7
35TDec 18, 19872–2 OT @ Buffalo Sabres20–7–8
36LDec 19, 19871–2 Buffalo Sabres20–8–8
37TDec 23, 19872–2 OT Washington Capitals20–8–9
38WDec 26, 19874–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs21–8–9
39LDec 28, 19873–9 @ Calgary Flames21–9–9
40WDec 29, 19874–1 @ Vancouver Canucks22–9–9
41LJan 2, 19882–5 @ Los Angeles Kings22–10–9
42LJan 6, 19885–6 Buffalo Sabres22–11–9
43TJan 9, 19883–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers22–11–10
44WJan 13, 19885–4 Boston Bruins23–11–10
45LJan 14, 19882–3 @ Boston Bruins23–12–10
46WJan 16, 19884–3 New York Rangers24–12–10
47WJan 18, 19886–4 Edmonton Oilers25–12–10
48LJan 21, 19881–4 St. Louis Blues25–13–10
49LJan 23, 19883–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins25–14–10
50WJan 24, 19885–3 @ Quebec Nordiques26–14–10
51WJan 27, 19884–1 @ Buffalo Sabres27–14–10
52LJan 29, 19883–4 @ Washington Capitals27–15–10
53WJan 30, 19886–2 @ New York Islanders28–15–10
54WFeb 1, 19885–4 Hartford Whalers29–15–10
55WFeb 3, 19885–2 @ Hartford Whalers30–15–10
56LFeb 4, 19883–7 @ Boston Bruins30–16–10
57LFeb 6, 19884–5 Detroit Red Wings30–17–10
58LFeb 11, 19882–4 @ New Jersey Devils30–18–10
59LFeb 13, 19881–4 Hartford Whalers30–19–10
60LFeb 15, 19881–3 @ New York Rangers30–20–10
61WFeb 17, 19883–2 Boston Bruins31–20–10
62WFeb 20, 19885–3 Quebec Nordiques32–20–10
63WFeb 23, 19883–1 @ Quebec Nordiques33–20–10
64WFeb 24, 19885–4 Vancouver Canucks34–20–10
65WFeb 27, 19886–0 Winnipeg Jets35–20–10
66WFeb 29, 19882–1 @ Quebec Nordiques36–20–10
67WMar 3, 19884–2 @ St. Louis Blues37–20–10
68WMar 5, 19887–6 OT @ Los Angeles Kings38–20–10
69WMar 9, 19884–1 @ Edmonton Oilers39–20–10
70WMar 12, 19885–0 Hartford Whalers40–20–10
71TMar 14, 19882–2 OT @ Minnesota North Stars40–20–11
72WMar 16, 19884–1 @ Winnipeg Jets41–20–11
73WMar 19, 19883–0 Chicago Blackhawks42–20–11
74TMar 21, 19883–3 OT Calgary Flames42–20–12
75WMar 23, 19884–1 Quebec Nordiques43–20–12
76LMar 25, 19882–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins43–21–12
77LMar 27, 19882–4 @ Hartford Whalers43–22–12
78WMar 31, 19883–1 @ Boston Bruins44–22–12
79WApr 2, 19889–4 Buffalo Sabres45–22–12
80TApr 3, 19884–4 OT @ Buffalo Sabres45–22–13

Playoffs

Adams Division semi-finals

Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs almost squandered a 3–0 series lead. The deep Habs roster was the best team in the Wales Conference during the season, consisting of six 20–goal scorers and another six with between 10 and 20 goals. Their best assets were goaltenders Patrick Roy and backup Brian Hayward who won 23 and 22 games respectively. The Ron Francis-led Whalers went 2–4–2 against the Canadiens during the season, twice losing by just one goal.

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 6 Hartford 3 Montreal 4
April 7 Hartford 3 Montreal 7
April 9 Montreal 4 Hartford 3
April 10 Montreal 5 Hartford 7
April 12 Hartford 5 Montreal 3
April 14 Montreal 4 Hartford 2

Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4–2

Adams Division finals

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Wales Conference's two best teams, and the NHL's two best defensive teams, met in this series with equal rest time. The Habs had beaten Boston in the Adams Division Semi-Finals four years in a row, sweeping the Bruins in three of the past four seasons, and beating them 3–2 in a best-of-five the other year. This time, the Bruins' defence would wear down Montreal, as Ken Linseman, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely provided the offence to finally conquer the Canadiens. It was the first Bruins' playoff series win over the Habs in 44 seasons.

Date Away Score Home Score Notes
April 18 Boston 1 Montreal 5
April 20 Boston 4 Montreal 3
April 22 Montreal 1 Boston 3
April 24 Montreal 0 Boston 2
April 26 Boston 4 Montreal 1

Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–1

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Smith, BobbyBobby Smith C 78 27 66 93 7813804
Naslund, MatsMats Naslund LW 78 24 59 83 1417402
Richer, StephaneStephane Richer RW 72 50 28 78 721216011
Lemieux, ClaudeClaude Lemieux RW 78 31 30 61 13716603
Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios D 71 20 41 61 172141015
McPhee, MikeMike McPhee LW 77 23 20 43 5319024
Robinson, LarryLarry Robinson D 53 6 34 40 3026201
Corson, ShayneShayne Corson LW 71 12 27 39 15222202
Carbonneau, GuyGuy Carbonneau C 80 17 21 38 6114031
Walter, RyanRyan Walter C/LW 61 13 23 36 3912603
Skrudland, BrianBrian Skrudland C 79 12 24 36 11214013
Svoboda, PetrPetr Svoboda D 69 7 22 29 14946201
Dahlin, KjellKjell Dahlin RW 48 13 12 25 65202
Gainey, BobBob Gainey LW 78 11 11 22 148001
Momesso, SergioSergio Momesso LW 53 7 14 21 1019100
Ludwig, CraigCraig Ludwig D 74 4 10 14 6917000
Green, RickRick Green D 59 2 11 13 3321100
Nilan, ChrisChris Nilan RW 50 7 5 12 209-2001
Thibaudeau, GillesGilles Thibaudeau C 17 5 6 11 06201
Lalor, MikeMike Lalor D 66 1 10 11 1134000
Kordic, JohnJohn Kordic RW 60 2 6 8 1590000
Trader, LarryLarry Trader D 30 2 4 6 192100
Boisvert, SergeSerge Boisvert RW 5 1 1 2 20000
Charbonneau, JoseJose Charbonneau RW 16 0 2 2 61000
Hayward, BrianBrian Hayward G 39 0 2 2 240000
Roy, PatrickPatrick Roy G 45 0 2 2 140000
Ganchar, PerryPerry Ganchar RW 1 1 0 1 0-1000
Gingras, GastonGaston Gingras D 2 0 1 1 21000
Sandelin, ScottScott Sandelin D 8 0 1 1 20000
Riendeau, VincentVincent Riendeau G 1 0 0 0 00000
Schneider, MathieuMathieu Schneider D 4 0 0 0 2-1000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Roy, PatrickPatrick Roy 2586 45 23 12 9 125 2.90 312481123.900
Hayward, BrianBrian Hayward 2247 39 22 10 4 107 2.86 21032925.896
Riendeau, VincentVincent Riendeau 36 1 0 0 0 5 8.33 02217.773
Team: 4869 80 45 22 13 237 2.92 523022065.897

Playoffs

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG
Richer, StephaneStephane Richer RW 8 7 5 12 6102
McPhee, MikeMike McPhee LW 11 4 3 7 8010
Smith, BobbyBobby Smith C 11 3 4 7 8100
Naslund, MatsMats Naslund LW 6 0 7 7 2000
Thibaudeau, GillesGilles Thibaudeau C 8 3 3 6 2100
Dahlin, KjellKjell Dahlin RW 11 2 4 6 2000
Walter, RyanRyan Walter C/LW 11 2 4 6 6201
Skrudland, BrianBrian Skrudland C 11 1 5 6 24000
Lemieux, ClaudeClaude Lemieux RW 11 3 2 5 20002
Robinson, LarryLarry Robinson D 11 1 4 5 4000
Svoboda, PetrPetr Svoboda D 10 0 5 5 12000
Chelios, ChrisChris Chelios D 11 3 1 4 29100
Kordic, JohnJohn Kordic RW 7 2 2 4 26000
Carbonneau, GuyGuy Carbonneau C 11 0 4 4 2000
Ludwig, CraigCraig Ludwig D 11 1 1 2 6000
Green, RickRick Green D 11 0 2 2 2000
Momesso, SergioSergio Momesso LW 6 0 2 2 16000
Corson, ShayneShayne Corson LW 3 1 0 1 12000
Boisvert, SergeSerge Boisvert RW 3 0 1 1 2000
Gainey, BobBob Gainey LW 6 0 1 1 6000
Charbonneau, JoseJose Charbonneau RW 8 0 0 0 4000
Fletcher, StevenSteven Fletcher LW/D 1 0 0 0 5000
Hayward, BrianBrian Hayward G 4 0 0 0 0000
Lalor, MikeMike Lalor D 11 0 0 0 11000
Roy, PatrickPatrick Roy G 8 0 0 0 0000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Roy, PatrickPatrick Roy 430 8 3 4 24 3.35 0218194.890
Hayward, BrianBrian Hayward 230 4 2 2 9 2.35 08576.894
Team: 660 11 5 6 33 3.00 0303270.891

[6]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Draft picks

For more details on this topic, see 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.8, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Canada, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7710-8942-8
  2. ↑ Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.4, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Canada, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7710-8942-8
  3. ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1988.html
  4. ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
  5. ↑ Richer Pots No. 50. Our History - The Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved 2013-June-19. Archived 2013-06-22.
  6. ↑ "1987-88 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
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